Syberia, what an adventure!

One of the newer games on the Nintendo Switch is Syberia 2. You know my curiosity: I’d never heard of the game, so time to check it out. Sadly, no demo in the eShop, so I looked around for some other insight on the gameplay.

Turns out, this game is the second one in a series of three, that has been released on XBox and PS4. The Switch seems to be the last console to release it. The game is also available on Android and iOS, at least, part 1 and 2 are.

Now there’s a thought, as I can access a sample of the games on my iPad. And that’s exactly what I did. Of course, it’s only the first chapter of the first game, but it should give a good idea of what to expect.

The story of Syberia 1

First of all, what is Syberia 1 about? The story follows Kate Walker: an American lawyer who was sent by her firm to the French town of Valadilene to settle a huge deal. She was tasked with obtaining the signature of one Anna Voralberg in order to complete an American company’s takeover of the once renowned Voralberg factory: makers of world-class automatons.

The problem is, Anna Voralberg has been dead for a couple of days when Kate arrives and she is now forced to stay and find a supposed heir, leading her to a quest to find a man known as Hans Voralberg. Her mission takes her across Central and Eastern Europe, which gradually leads her to question her own life. Wikipedia tells us the titular Syberia is a mythical island on which mammoths are said to live (inspiration could be Wrangel Island in Siberia, the last place on earth where mammoths survived).

Steampunk vibe

I was immediately impressed by the overall feel of the game. This game series, like many others, takes its inspiration from Steampunk. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy literature that has developed into becoming a craft and lifestyle movement, which commonly features some sort of aspect of steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century British Victorian era or the American Wild West. Syberia combines these Steampunk themes and blends them with modern day. The color tones are characteristic, automatrons are an important part of the story, but otherwise, Kate uses a smartphone like all of us.

Point and click gameplay

The gameplay reminds me a lot of the classic point and click games. Sometimes you have to use an item you have collected before, sometimes interaction with people is necessary. The puzzles aren’t overly difficult, but still, at times baffling. But I always love how creative the developers are, of how they stay in the overall feeling of the game and have clever puzzles to match. For instance, trying to get into the house of the lawyer, you had to put the letter of recommendation of your law firm in the hand of the very fancy doorknob. It checked it out, and then I was in!

Now to get back to Syberia 2 in the Switch: the game costs €29,95, while the game in iOS costs € 5,49. Plus, if you buy a 2 Pack on iOS, you get both Syberia games for € 7,99. My point is: why go for the Switch version? The game looks beautiful and plays very well on the tablet. I know the route I’m going to take!